2002 Entertainment happenings

Amos Stevens

New Member
January
Spin City co-stars Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards
announce their engagement. They will marry later in
the year.

Conan O'Brien, host of NBC's Late Night, marries his
long-time girlfriend, advertising executive Liza
Powell, Jan. 12 in Seattle.

TV and movie director Ted Demme (Action, Gun, Blow)
collapses during a basketball game on Jan. 13. He's
later pronounced dead of heart failure at age 38.


Writer and actress Carrie Hamilton, the daughter of
Carol Burnett, dies of cancer Jan. 20. The 38-year-old
Hamilton appeared in Fame, thirtysomething and Beverly
Hills, 90210.

February

Former Charmed and Beverly Hills, 90210 star Shannen
Doherty marries for the second time. She and boyfriend
Rick Solomon exchange vows in Las Vegas.

Guy Stockwell, an actor with dozens of TV credits
ranging from Gunsmoke to Knight Rider, dies at age 68.
He was the brother of Dean Stockwell (Quantum Leap).

Dynasty queen Joan Collins marries for the fifth time
-- this time to theater manager Percy Gibson, 36,
who's more than 30 years younger than her.

Howard K. Smith, a former ABC news anchor and
correspondent, dies Feb. 15 at the age of 86. Smith
also worked at CBS under Edward R. Murrow during his
career.

Two of the stars of Dawson's Creek, James Van Der Beek
and Kerr Smith, announce their engagements on the same
day, Feb. 19. Van Der Beek proposed to Heather McComb
(Party of Five), while Smith popped the question to
Josie and the Pussycats actress Harmoni Everett.


Chuck Jones, the legendary Warner Bros. animator who
gave life to Bugs Bunny and dozens of other
characters, dies Feb. 22 at age 89. Some of his
classic shorts include What's Opera, Doc?, Duck Amuck
and One Froggy Evening.

According to Jim star Jim Belushi and his wife, Jenny,
welcome their second child, a boy named Jared.

March
Anne Heche gives birth to a baby boy, Homer Heche
Laffoon, on March 2. It's her first child with husband
Coley Laffoon.

David Letterman uses his March 11 monologue to
announce that he's staying with CBS, rejecting a
big-money offer from ABC to jump networks and replace
Nightline. Letterman says Nightline anchor Ted Koppel
deserves to determine his own fate.

Sopranos star James Gandolfini files for divorce from
his wife of three years, Marcy, on March 12. The court
battle will become rancorous -- and public -- before
the couple settles later in the year.

A month after being outed on The View, talk-show host
Rosie O'Donnell first discusses her homosexuality in
an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer. O'Donnell says
she wants to raise awareness of a legal fight over gay
adoption in Florida, where she lives with her adopted
kids.

Former NBC executive Sylvester "Pat" Weaver dies March
15 at age 93. During his tenure at the network, Weaver
created both Today and The Tonight Show, and also
moved NBC away from the business model of sponsored
programming to one in which commercial time was sold
to multiple advertisers.

Legendary comedian Milton Berle, whose Texaco Star
Theater was a huge hit in the early days of
television, dies after a long illness March 27 at age
93.

April
Actress Tawny Kitaen (Bachelor Party, the syndicated
Hercules ) is charged with spousal abuse on her
husband, major league baseball pitcher Chuck Finley.
She was arrested April 1 after allegedly kicking
Finley and driving her high-heeled shoe into his foot
as he was driving.

Roy Huggins, the producer who created The Fugitive and
The Rockford Files, dies April 3 at age 87. The finale
of The Fugitive remains one of the most-watched
programs in TV history.

Oscar winner Geena Davis and her surgeon husband, Reza
Jarrahy, welcome a baby girl in the world on April 10.
It's the first child for the couple, who married in
September 2001.

Pamela Anderson, formerly married to Tommy Lee,
announces she's engaged to another rock star, Kid
Rock. The couple has yet to marry.

Former Law & Order star Benjamin Bratt marries his
Pinero co-star, Talisa Soto, on April 14.

Melrose Place co-stars Josie Bissett and Rob Estes
have their second child together on April 14. The baby
girl is named Maya.

Actor Robert Urich, 55, dies of cancer on April 16.
His three-decade acting career included starring roles
in Vega$, Spenser: For Hire and numerous other TV
series.

Actor Robert Blake is arrested April 18 on suspicion
of killing his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. The Baretta
star is formally charged a few days later; his case is
slowly making its way through the court system.

Rusty Burrell, a retired Los Angeles County sheriff's
deputy and the bailiff for Judge Joseph Wapner on The
People's Court, dies at age 76. Burrell was a bailiff
at the trials of Charles Manson and Patty Hearst.

Sopranos actor Robert Iler, who plays A.J. on the HBO
show, pleads guilty to petty larceny on April 23. The
17-year-old Iler and three friends were accused of
stealing $40 from two passersby in summer 2001. He
receives three years' probation.


May

Malcolm in the Middle mom Jane Kaczmarek and her
husband, The West Wing's Bradley Whitford, announce
they're expecting their third child. The pregnancy is
written into the series.

Angel star David Boreanaz and his wife, Jaime Bergman
(Son of the Beach), have their first child together.
Jaden is born May 1 weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces.

Judy Toll, a consulting producer on Sex and the City
and occasional performer on Curb Your Enthusiasm, dies
May 2 of complications from skin cancer. The one-time
stand-up comic also wrote for The Geena Davis Show and
Boy Meets World.


Warrior princess Lucy Lawless gives birth to her third
child in May 7. The boy, Judah, is the second kid for
the Xena star and her husband, Robert G. Tapert;
Lawless also has a daughter from a previous marriage.

Ex-MTV hottie Jenny McCarthy and her husband, John
Asher (Going to California), have their first child
together. Evan Joseph Asher is born May 18.

Barry Watson of The WB's 7th Heaven announces he's
been diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. He leaves the
cast at the end of the season but stays with the show
as a story editor, receiving his first solo writing
credit in November. The 28-year-old's treatment is
reportedly going well.

June
Former Miami Vice star Philip Michael Thomas wins a
$2.3 million judgment from a phone-psychic service.
Thomas claimed the company owed him back pay for his
appearance in the service's infomercials.

Thomas' Vice co-star, Don Johnson, and his wife,
Kelley, welcome their second child, Jasper, into the
world on June 6. Johnson has two other kids from
previous marriages.

Sharon Osbourne, matriarch of The Osbournes, is
diagnosed with colon cancer; she undergoes surgery in
July. She allows MTV to film her treatment as part of
the second season of MTV's docu-sitcom about the
family's life.

After a six-month engagement, Charlie Sheen and Denise
Richards are married June 15. It's the second marriage
for Sheen and the first for Richards.

Actress Tea Leoni (The Naked Truth, Hollywood Ending)
gives birth on June 15 to her second child with her
husband, The X-Files star David Duchovny. They also
have a 3-year-old daughter.

Singer and actress Brandy gives birth to a daughter,
Sy'rai, with her husband, music producer Robert Smith,
on June 16. Her pregnancy was documented as part of an
MTV series about her life.

Longtime St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck,
77, dies June 18 after battling a number of health
problems. Buck also called several World Series, Super
Bowls and boxing matches during his career.

Chris Rock and his wife, Malaak Compton-Rock, have
their first child together on June 28. Daughter Lola
weighs 6 pounds, 15 ounces at birth.

Rosemary Clooney dies June 29 of lung cancer at age
74. She had numerous hits as a singer, including "Come
on-a My House" and "Mambo Italiano," hosted a variety
series in the 1950s and appeared in numerous films.
She guest-starred on her nephew George Clooney's
series ER in the mid-'90s.

July

Will & Grace star Eric McCormack and his wife, Janet
Holden, welcome their first child July 1. They name
the boy Finnigan Holden McCormack.

Jennifer Aniston settles a lawsuit with two magazine
publishers that printed photos of her sunbathing
topless in her yard. The Friends star claimed the
photographers invaded her privacy by scaling a
neighbor's wall and using a long lens to get the
pictures.

Director John Frankenheimer, who won several Emmys for
his TV work and also directed numerous feature films,
dies July 6 at age 72. His film credits include The
Manchurian Candidate and Ronin, while he won Emmys for
TV movies such as George Wallace and The Burning
Season.

Elisabeth Filarski, a contestant on Survivor: The
Australian Outback, marries college sweetheart Tim
Hasselbeck, a backup quarterback for the Philadelphia
Eagles, on July 6. Filarski hosts a show called The
Look for Less on the Style network.

Knight Rider and Baywatch star David Hasselhoff checks
into the Betty Ford Center to undergo treatment for
alcoholism. The actor's publicist says Hasselhoff
realized his "social drinking had increased more than
he was comfortable with."

Valerie Bertinelli (Touched by an Angel, One Day at a
Time) and her husband, guitarist Eddie Van Halen,
announce they've been separated for several months.
They have no plans to divorce, however.

Chyler Leigh (girls club) marries actor Nathan West on
July 20. The two met while working on a pilot in 1999
and plan to make their home in Alaska, West's home
state. (Her series is cancelled after only two
episodes.)

August

Chick Hearn, the voice of the Los Angeles Lakers since
their move from Minneapolis in 1960, dies Aug. 5 at
age 85. Hearn was an L.A. institution and had cameos
in a number of movies, notably Fletch. He called a
string of more than 3,300 consecutive Laker games
before medical problems sidelined him earlier in 2002.

Passions star Josh Ryan Evans, 20, dies Aug. 5 of
complications from a congenital heart condition. He
played living doll Timmy on the NBC soap opera.

Matt Robinson, who played Gordon on Sesame Street in
the 1970s, dies Aug. 5 at age 65. Robinson, who also
worked as a writer on The Cosby Show, Sanford and Son
and Eight Is Enough, suffered from Parkinson's
disease.

Former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Jason Priestley
fractures his spine in a crash while practicing for an
auto race in Kentucky on Aug. 11. He also breaks both
feet and suffers a head injury. He's currently
recovering from the accident.

September
Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of Buffy the Vampire
Slayer, marries her longtime boyfriend and Scooby-Doo
co-star Freddie Prinze Jr. in Mexico over the Labor
Day weekend.

Live with Regis and Kelly co-host Kelly Ripa announces
she's expecting her third child. She and husband Mark
Consuelos (All My Children) have a son and a daughter.

LaWanda Page, who played Aunt Esther on Sanford and
Son, dies Sept. 14 at age 81. More recently, she had a
role in the movie Friday.

Just Shoot Me's Rena Sofer accepts the proposal of
producer-director Sanford Bookstaver (Fastlane). The
couple plans to get married in 2003. Sofer was
previously married to her General Hospital co-star
Wallace Kurth, with whom she has a daughter.


Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) weds Firefly star Gina
Torres on Sept. 22 in New York. It's his second
marriage, her first.

Crossing Over psychic John Edward and his wife,
Sandra, have a baby boy on Sept. 26. It's their first
child.

October
Publishing magnate Walter Annenberg, the founder of TV
Guide, dies Oct. 1 at age 94. The billionaire was a
close confidant of Richard Nixon and later in life
made numerous huge charitable donations, including the
bequeathing of his art collection -- worth $1 billion
-- to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Bruce Paltrow, the father of Gwyneth Paltrow and
director on such TV series as St. Elsewhere and
Homicide, dies Oct. 2 of complications from pneumonia.
He was 58.

The city of Lawrence, Ind., near Indianapolis, renames
a street David Drive, creating an intersection of
David and Letterman (Avenue). Native Hoosier Letterman
had been campaigning to have a highway in Indiana
named after him. In November, the city of Muncie,
Ind., where Dave went to college, names an alley after
him.

Stephen Ambrose, the historian and author whose work
was the basis for HBO's Band of Brothers, dies of lung
cancer on Oct. 13. He was 66.

Veteran actor Dennis Patrick, a regular on Dark
Shadows in the 1960s and Dallas in the early 1980s,
dies Oct. 13 in a fire at his home in Los Angeles. He
was 84.

Michelle Parma, who took part in the third edition of
MTV's Road Rules, is killed in an Oct. 19 car
accident. Another driver lost control of his car and
hit the Jeep in which Parma, 27, and her cousin
Mandie, 28, were riding. Mandie Parma also died in the
accident.

Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker gives birth
to a baby boy, James, on Oct. 28. It's the first child
for Parker and husband Matthew Broderick.






November
ER star Noah Wyle and wife Tracy have their first
child, a boy they named Owen Strausser Wyle, on No. 9.

Jonathan Harris, best known as the devious Dr. Smith
on Lost in Space, dies Nov. 3 at age 87. More
recently, Harris lent his voice to the animated movies
Toy Story 2 and A Bug's Life.

Peg Phillips, who played no-nonsense store owner
Ruth-Anne Miller on Northern Exposure, dies Nov. 7 of
lung disease. She was 84.

Merlin Santana, a 26-year-old actor best known for a
recurring role on The Steve Harvey Show, is shot to
death in Los Angeles on Nov. 9.

Rosie O'Donnell's partner Kelli Carpenter gives birth
to a daughter on Nov. 28. The baby girl, Vivienne
Rose, joins the couple's three adopted children.

December

Malcolm in the Middle star Jane Kaczmarek and husband
Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) welcome a new baby
girl, Mary Louisa Whitford, on Dec. 2.

Roone Arledge, a pioneering television executive at
ABC News and Sports who created shows from Monday
Night Football to ABC's Wide World of Sports to
Nightline, dies Dec. 5 at age 71. The 36-time Emmy
winner's far-reaching influence is still seen on TV;
he introduced the use of slow-motion and instant
replay in sporting events and helped the careers of
such prominent journalists as Peter Jennings, Diane
Sawyer, Ted Koppel and Barbara Walters.

TV-star couple Jennie Garth and Peter Facinelli have a
second baby daughter, Lola Ray, Dec. 6. Garth stars on
The WB sitcom What I Like about You, and Facinelli is
one of the stars of FOX's buddy-cop show Fastlane.


Actor Tom Sizemore, who plays a police detective in
the CBS series Robbery Homicide Division, was arrested
Dec. 7 after a woman claimed he hit and threatened
her. Sizemore, 41, whose film credits include Saving
Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down, was released on
$2,500 bail. (Days later, CBS announced that Robbery
Homicide Division, which premiered this fall, was
going on hiatus.)
 

Mama San

Administrator
What a year, Amos!
Thanks for the updates!
We have lost quite a few
very special, irreplaceable people!
May they rest in peace!
God bless,
Mama san
 

Amos Stevens

New Member
Yes Grandma C..each year we do lose a lot of great people-whether they're well known or not. But for each baby born,who knows-the next famous Bozo the Clown! hee hee
 
Top